How The Three Lights Made It to the Top
by Shiao Lung
Summary: Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten Kou crashland outside New York City and try to build their singing career to find the Princess Kakyuu.
1. Just by being here

Sailor Star Lights… STAGE ON ****

Sailor Star Lights… STAGE ON!

Chapter One: _Just by being here---_

[Bluemean83@aol.com][1]

June 26, 2001

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Disclaimers: Naoko Takeuchi created the Three Lights and the Sailorstarlights. I'm borrowing them for now, but I'll return them when I'm done (like a movie rental). For those who picked this fic, arigato gozaimasu, minna-san. This story is my way of explaining how Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten Kou became famous idol singers.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Seiya felt a warm light pass over his shivering body. In his sleep, it made him smile, as it brought him to a safe place. But then this warmth vanished, and he felt steely golden eyes glaring down at him. The gaze suffocated him and he gasped tensely, trying to hold on to his last breath of oxygen. He shook himself and slowly opened his eyes and sat up on his aching legs. There were dark trees that surrounded him, and he bent his wrist to feel the cool, dewy grass on the back of his hand. In the near distance, the moon's rays were trying to break through the thick fog above him. A cool breeze blew towards him, making Seiya curl his arms reflexively across his chest. He looked down quizzically and realized…

"Where are my clothes?" Seiya clutched himself protectively, suspiciously eyeing the forest for any signs of peeping human life. "Yaten! Taiki!" He called out nervously in all directions. For a while there was an awkward silence as Seiya tried to stand up and cover himself, and falling over all at once. He heard someone moan his name, "Seiya…" followed by tight coughing. That deep intellectual voice had to be Taiki's! Seiya began to crawl over to the rasping sounds, and saw a slender hand reach out from a bundle of clovers. Seiya knelt over the hand and saw his friend struggling in the thick bundles. He pulled up on the hand and ripped Taiki free from the monstrous hold. For a moment, he didn't speak, and his eyes seemed to glaze over Seiya as though he was concentrating on one of Seiya's witty remarks. Seiya became a little frightened.

"Taiki! Say something!" Seiya grappled his shoulders and shook him violently. Taiki turned his head away and spat out some clover. Taiki looked down at his nakedness nonchalantly and rolled his hands over, "Our clothes must have burned up when we entered the atmosphere."

"Why didn't we burn up?" Seiya wondered.

"We must have come down as shooting stars." Taiki looked back at the hole that Seiya had lifted him from and pointed to the tiny smoking vapors emitting from the ground. They had definitely crashed landed into Earth. "And we must have been lying here for a while though, because the plants grew on top of us."

"Hey Seiya, aren't you going to help me over here?" That had to be Yaten. He emerged from a nearby pile of leaves like a drowning person seeking air and his face and hair were plastered with wet leaves. He smoothed down his blond fringe and peeled off the leaves like it was all apart of his secret plan to show off his survival skills. Seiya and Taiki chuckled at him.

"As soon as we get some designer wear, I'll be ok… ack! What the hell happened to me? I'm a man!" Yaten checked himself over and grumbled, "When I was a girl, I had the coolest clothes and now I can't accessorize at all!" This made the two boys laugh even harder. Yaten was the most easy-going of the three, and he knew quite a lot about personal grooming, but he probably was the most arrogant and boisterous of the bunch. This put Seiya and Taiki on edge sometimes, but they loved him just the same.

"It's nothing new, Yaten. During our journey here, we must have chosen this form."

"As men, we might attract women better!" Seiya said enthusiastically. 

"That seems to be the thing here on Earth." Yaten mumbled in response. He traipsed through his leaf pile and hurried over to his friends. He hugged his arms and chattered through his teeth; "I hate being cold. I need something to wear. I'm also hungry." His stomach rumbled vehemently. 

"We'll get to that as soon as we figure out where we are." Taiki looked around him then tilted his head towards the sheltering canopy of the trees.

The boys perked up as they heard the sudden sound of twigs breaking. A dark green hat emerged from the shadows of the trees, followed by a park ranger uniform. At first, the ranger was quite surprised to see three naked teenage boys congregating in the forest when he was used to discovering poachers and ordering them off the grounds. He scanned his flashlight over their eyes and said sternly, 

"Every year I see boys like you in here. You think it's fun to have your little orgies in this beautiful forest, we'll it's not funny at all. Someone's liable to be hurt from all of this." 

He slowly began to advance towards them, when Seiya stood up and answered timidly that they were lost and starving and they didn't mean to fall into his nature preserve. But the park ranger couldn't make sense of Seiya's Kinmokusei language as Seiya profusely apologized and bowed his head several times, which made the park ranger suspect other things. He grasped Seiya's neck with his gloved hand and held him tightly, catching the intoxicating aroma of his olive-scented hair. Seiya's pupils dilated rapidly as the flashlight shined in his eyes. 

"Are you on drugs, boy?" the park ranger lowered his voice and knit his brow. Seiya tried to shake his head, not quite sure what was being asked, but the man's tone of voice depicted something serious and dangerous. The man let go of his grasp and Seiya stumbled back, rubbing his neck gingerly. The man had left deep red marks on his skin, and they were painful. The park ranger suddenly turned heel and dashed off. The three boys looked at each other, puzzled.

"That man might call the police on us!" Taiki whispered to his companions. 

"That means we better make like a pizza truck and roll outta here!" Seiya looked down at Yaten and Taiki. Yaten rolled his eyes at Seiya as they sprinted away, "Pizza truck?"

"Hey, I smell Earth food nearby!" Seiya pointed ahead of him. The boys tried to keep up with each other, but Yaten kept stopping and leaned against the trees, gasping for air. "I hate jogging," he panted. Taiki and Seiya knew that their little Yaten hated getting sweaty, but there was no time for his complaining. Quickly, they slung his arms over their shoulders and acted like his crutch. As they ran, Taiki brushed the low hanging branches from his face, for he was the tallest of the three, and could see in the distance what Seiya was talking about. "Look!" Taiki said softly, and pointed to a clearing in the forest. They knelt behind a protective wall of bushes and spotted what looked like a campsite. Yaten elbowed Seiya to have a peek, but Seiya was eager to see, and soon they started fighting. They wrestled each other to the ground; then Taiki hushed them. He took another look, it was a campsite all right, but it was a campsite of women! They seemed to have taken a large vehicle, and had set up "camp" or a bundle of tents. It was still early into the night, so only a few of them were asleep. Taiki blushed as he noticed one woman with deep red hair… 'Hey! he thought, he felt a little strange. He was blushing because of a woman, and a feeling he could not remember suddenly swept over him and made him shivered. 

"Taiki, what's wrong? Are you cold?" Yaten blinked from the ground, as Seiya prepared to put a chokehold on him. No, no, he said, he was fine, Taiki smiled nervously (he hadn't done that in a while) and waved his hands. Then he began to rationalize, 'Perhaps these women can help us. But they would not be able to understand us.' Taiki remembered what happened to Seiya, and squeezed his eyes. He had to think of something, or the lot of them would starve or freeze quickly. He grasped a handful of leaves from the ground and closed his eyes. 

"Say, I know. We could steal their clothes from their big vehicle or their tents. Then we could steal their food. Then we could steal their vehicle!" Taiki heard Seiya propose a plan to Yaten, and they started laughing. 

Taiki turned around and stared at Seiya. "That's not such a bad idea!" Seiya was taken aback, "Did you have something in mind, Taiki?" Seiya pointed to the bundle of leaves in his friend's hand. "I thought I could get some mud and make a leaf skirt." They laughed together again (except for Taiki, he was trying to think), and some of the girls heard the noise and decided to investigate. Nature will never be sure who spotted whom first, but both gave an alarming shriek.

"Oh my god!" The girls looked at the boys all over in shock and disgust, but some were trying to keep down their embarrassed giggling. Seiya and Yaten scrambled over each other in confusion and took Taiki down with them. 

The boys, in the hysteria, frantically gathered their wits and leapt into the campsite. They began swiping and pulling tents from the ground, frightening the girls underneath them. They wrapped their tents around the lower halves of their bodies and tied it tightly together with the tent's cord. They felt their hearts pound in their ears as they scurried away, but Yaten trailed behind when he noticed one sleeping girl, the red-haired girl Taiki had seen earlier.

"Princess!" he shouted in rapid Kinmokusei-ese. It seemed the long search across the galaxy to find this one woman had ended before it had begun. He reached out his hands to cup the woman's, but they were cold and her green eyes just stared into his, as though she were greatly offended. Embarrassed, Yaten pulled away from her, and quickly caught up with Seiya and Taiki.

"It wasn't her."

"We can't go around grabbing women and seeing if she's the one were looking for. We have to find another way of attracting women without drawing attention to them." 

Seiya perked up considerably; "We could be famous athletes." 

"Only you could do that Seiya." Yaten moaned.

"We could study hard and earn a Nobel Peace Prizes."

"Ah Taiki! We have to be something that all of us can do." 

"What could three fourteen year olds like us do on Earth that could affect everyone?" wondered Seiya aloud.

"We'll get to that as soon as we figure out where we are." They had arrived out of the edge of the dense forest, and Taiki pointed to a large sign reading: You have now reached the New York City Limits. They couldn't read the sign of course, but the bright lights and fast cars attracted them, and they quickly decided that it was worth checking out.

   [1]: mailto:Bluemean83@aol.com



	2. And not knowing why, I feel attached to ...

Fighter Star Power… ****

Fighter Star Power…

Maker Star Power…MAKE UP!

Healer Star Power….

Chapter 2: _And not knowing why, I feel attached to this world…_

[Bluemean83@aol.com][1]

June 28, 2001

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Disclaimers: Seiya Kou, Taiki Kou and Yaten Kou are a part of the Sailormoon Universe and were created by Naoko Takeuchi. I only hope that the three Lights in this continuing story are in character with the ones in Sailormoon. Arigato gozaimasu for reading this, please enjoy.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Wait!" Taiki pulled his arms behind him to stop his friends. He faced them, and his violet eyes grew serious, "The darkness won't hide our true characters forever and more people will be out on the streets in the daylight. We need a disguise." He dug around in the folds of his tent body wrap-around and pulled out a very mysterious object. Its plastic surface glittered in the moonlight.

"What is that?" Seiya and Yaten's eyes grew wide as Taiki inspected the object meticulously, flipping it over in his hands. 

"I found it on the ground. It has some sort of human wearing a hat, with a broom on his head. Do you suppose that people use this as identification? Or maybe it's an autographed picture of someone famous?"

"I hope there aren't any more Earth men who look like that, or we'd really be in trouble!" Yaten looked at Seiya, and Seiya started back at the plastic face on the card, and an idea slowly began taking shape in his head. He snatched the card out of Taiki's hand and grinned. 

"Say, maybe we should ask someone if they know this guy. If he really is famous, maybe he can help us." Taiki's eyes light up in surprise at the suggestion. He pat his friend affectionately on the back, "Seiya, sometimes you amaze even me." He laughed softly and Seiya replied by cupping his ear with his hand and saying, "What's that you say, Taiki? I think one of those girls stuck a banana in my ear, can you speak a little louder?" Their laughter echoed in the starry sky above as they made their slow descent into the dark, moon-streaked city. 

The edges of streets were dirty with floating garbage, the streetlights burned like miniature suns, and the boys were careful not to make direct eye contact with anyone. Seiya straightened his back and pulled up his chin; he walked with a look of defiant purpose. Taiki scanned the crowd with a wary eye, but kept his ears open to take in the voices of the people around him. Slowly, he began to construct his own sentences by mimicking their sounds.

"_Hey_, what…. are.…._you_…looking---at?" Taiki practiced his English on Yaten, who was looking in the passing shop windows at the time. Yaten grabbed on to Seiya and Taiki's hands, as though they were wasting his precious time, and hurried into the nearest clothing store: The Gap. They tried to squeeze their surprisingly muscular torsos through the tiny doorway all at once, but only Yaten had managed to slip through unscathed. He left Taiki and Seiya crawling in his wake as he made a zealous beeline towards the display of "acid-washed jeans." He was fascinated by it. He felt a little tap on his bare shoulder, followed by a small cough.

"Excuse me, sir," demanded the voice. Yaten turned around and looked at the sales clerk with bright green-eyed innocence. He was a young man, mid-twenties, with dark curly hair and a pierced lip. "Can I help you?" 

Yaten twitched his eye, and ran a finger across his own mouth, "How can you be so violent to your lips?" Unlike Taiki, Yaten didn't care about learning English or any other Earth language; he just wanted something to wear. And eat. He was proud of his planet Kinmokusei. The sales clerk just stared at Yaten, but then he smiled widely.

"Oh…Namaste." He slapped his hands together and nodded his head. Yaten saw Seiya and Taiki creep over and stand next to him, and Yaten breathed an annoyed sigh of relief. Humans could be so difficult.

"Hi." Taiki beamed, as he pulled out the wonderful golden power card they had been ogling over before, causing the man to grin even wider.

"Oh yes," the sales clerk gave a sly smile and slowly backed away, "I think you guys know what you're doing. If you need me, I'll just be at… at the front!" Seiya was puzzled, the man seemed so eager to help Yaten before, but now he seemed eager to get away from them. Seiya shrugged his shoulders, 'oh well'. He sauntered around the store, inspecting every item of clothing with rapt attention. Before long, they had littered the back dressing rooms with their strewn clothes, creating some major stress to the other late-night shoppers. But the boys knew what they liked: dark pants with matching dress shirts and ties, thick socks, boxers and classy sassy Colonial type shoes with shiny buckles. Then they discovered that the checkout clerk _did_ know who the man on the golden card was, and they were happy to know that their clothes had been charged to him, "American Express." He had been a good benefactor to them so far, and they walked out of the Gap smiling and dressed to kill, or at least stop traffic. Suddenly, women started giving them 'the eye', the same 'eye' (they couldn't help but notice) that some of the girls at the campsite had briefly given them.

"I think it's working!" Seiya said with a pleased smile. 

"Yes, we can get them to notice us without drawing attention to them, thus saving them from potential danger." Taiki felt happy, almost like laughing, but he kept his mind focused on the noises around him. 

"Seiya, why are you looking at them? Have you forgotten why we're here?" Yaten fumed. There was only one mission and one reason to be on Earth, but it seemed like his friends were quickly becoming attached to this materialistic world of beauty and sorrow. He bit his lip… he sure was hungry though! 

"Ah, Yaten, I haven't forgotten. But you never know if she's taken another form, like we have." Seiya grinned a little.

"You sound like you like your new form, Seiya." Yaten growled as loudly as his hungry stomach.

"It's different…" Seiya felt himself blush as more women brushed by him, smiling up at him. He couldn't remember when he had gotten this much attention before, and he felt a little shy. He caught the smell of cooked meat and cheese and felt his own stomach murmur loudly. They made their way over to the source of the smell: a corner shop pizza place called Galaxy Pizza.

"Galaxia!" Seiya gasped…then grit his teeth in anger!

"Seiya, you can read that?" Yaten looked up at the neon-lit sign: it read GALAXY PIZZA and it was covered in multicolored stars. It looked pretty safe to Yaten.

"Eh, no, I just thought…that I felt her presence here." Seiya looked around nervously, "I guess I haven't been feeling completely like myself lately." They knew what Seiya meant, and they looked upward at the sky, through the skyscrapers and towards the stars. It was just a memory now…

"Can we go inside now? I'm about to keel over!" Yaten clutched his stomach in mock agony; Taiki pushed open the glass door reluctantly and stepped inside, a little less than eager to try American food.

   [1]: mailto:Bluemean83@aol.com



	3. The faces of people,

A wandering shooting star piercing through the darkness… ****

A wandering shooting star piercing through the darkness…

Chapter 3: _The faces of people…_

[Bluemean83@aol.com][1]

August 3, 2001

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Disclaimers: The Sailor Star Lights and their alter egos, ids and super egos were created by Naoko Takeuchi. I just hope that the characters in this story correspond accurately to the Taiki, Yaten and Seiya Kou boys in Sailormoon Stars. Thank you for choosing this fic, please enjoy.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The weeks slowly rolled by for our trio: Taiki studied intensely in their little apartment, Seiya searched through the classifieds and personals at the kitchen table, and Yaten watched movies on their television in their living room. As Seiya absentmindedly scanned the classifieds, he gradually grew envious of Yaten reclining on their green sofa, his legs curled up lazily as he laughed with the glowing box. Taiki was amazed at the machine when they passed by Radio Shack, and while Taiki wasn't normally as impulsive as Seiya, he had to have it. His only passion, besides reading and devoutly searching for their princess, was technology. And America was swarming with it; everywhere they turned, they saw beepers, cell phones, digital watches with liquid crystal faces, everything that clicked and beeped Taiki became instantly intrigued. Which brought Seiya back to Yaten…

"Hahaha! I'd just as soon kiss a Wookie!" Yaten guffawed wildly. He absolutely loved this movie, whatever it was. Yaten had no ambition whatsoever, he just loved watching the television. And while Seiya desperately tried to hold on to his job at the local grocery store, Yaten had hit the big time as a male model. It seemed like a miracle. The two of them, Yaten and Seiya, were in the park one brisk afternoon, after they had walked with Taiki to the never ending horror job he called "fun" (it was really a bookstore, but Seiya found the silence disturbing) when they noticed a crowd of people and cameramen surrounding a large platform. The weather was getting warmer, and without even a flicker of hesitation in their hearts, they raced each other to get a closer look. It had taken Seiya a bit longer to adapt to reading English but he could make out the sign on the table without any problems: "Model Auditioning. Nonexclusive, male and female types of all ages and sizes." 

Yaten leaned over Seiya's shoulder, "What does it say, Seiya?" he asked innocently. 'Poor Yaten' Seiya smirked evilly, he still hadn't been able to make sense of the newspapers and had almost given up altogether. But his spoken English was the best out of the three. Seiya sometimes wanted to zone out in front of that wonderful talking square, the television, but just couldn't find the time. He was too busy imagining his football career during the graveyard shift in the produce section at the grocery store. That was something he did enjoy: American football. Someday, he hoped, if all else failed, that by being a famous football star, he could be on that TV screen and maybe Princess Kakyuu, in some form or other, would recognize him.

"Hey Seiya, what does it say?" Yaten waved his hand in front of his face to get his attention.

"It says, Model Auditioning. Male and Female types of all ages welcome. Sorry no one under 5 feet please." Seiya tried to stifle his snickers as Yaten punched him in the arm.

"What! It doesn't say that!" He shoved Seiya aside, by Seiya shoved him back, and soon they started fighting. They were about to duke it out in front of everyone when someone screamed, "Stop! You there!"

"Huh?" Seiya and Yaten darted their eyes to the voice. A woman, in her late thirties, dressed sharply in a dark knit skirt and pin striped top, hurried over to Yaten, followed by her business minions, and helped him up from the ground with her outstretched hands.

"You're absolutely perfect, young man!" the woman's voice sparkled.

"Well, it's not easy." Yaten grinned widely in Seiya's general direction, frustrating his friend to no end.

"My company is looking for young men of your quality. Attractive, but not overwhemingly masculine with a mysterious feminine look. It's exactly what we need." Her delicate British accent intrigued Yaten immensely. 

"I think you've made a mistake, ma'am. He's too short!" Seiya yelled to them as he stood up; he had to yell, they were quickly walking away from him. He heard the faint traces of their voices, 'Calvin Klein this' and 'Have you heard of Mark Wahlber that?' Soon Seiya could hardly see Yaten's face as the little blond traitor stuck his mocking tongue out at him. At that moment, Seiya Kou cursed a small Kinmokusei curse- the kind you use when you wish you had your friend's luck but didn't. A few days later, the media had caught on to this little blond wonder, but when the three of them ventured outdoors, Yaten was yet to be swarmed with screaming female fans. 

Seiya stared out his kitchen window wistfully, and angrily pushed his fist into the glass.

"There's nothing but gray and haze and buildings. Where's the green and the trees? Back home, it wasn't like this at all. When this is all over… when we find the Princess, will we change back? Will things be like they were before?"

"Ask Tiresias." Said Taiki, looking up from the pages of his book.

"What's that?" Yaten raised an eyebrow.

"According to Ovid's Metamorphosis, Tiresias was walking in the woods one day, when he saw two snakes coupling. He separated them with his walking staff and Tiresias became a woman. Seven years later, he found the two coupling snakes again---"

"The same two snakes?" Seiya asked.

"Yes, and when he separated them, he became a man again. The god Jupiter and his wife, Juno, asked Tiresias, because he had been both man and woman, which gender enjoyed sex the most. Tiresias said, 'Women' and Juno struck him blind."

"Serves him right," Yaten huffed.

"But Jupiter gave him the gift of prophesy in compensation." 

"So what should we ask Tiresias?" Seiya leaned against the wall, deeply enthralled in Taiki's story.

"The point is that there are no coupling snakes here. We can't change back, Seiya."

"What do you mean," Seiya and Yaten stuttered, 'can't change back?"

"Unless we fall into the same circumstance as we did before, we will never change back, we will stay as men, but,' he paused, 'I did discover something." He pulled out a small box from underneath the pillow he had been resting his arm on. It had already been opened, and Seiya peeked inside. He pulled out two star-shaped lockets, each with tiny sets of silver wings. He looked back at Taiki, who was quietly reclining on the sofa, awestruck. How did he---

"Do you remember these? We had them as soldiers, but they were destroyed… along with everything else." Taiki closed his book and stood up to stretch.

"How did you get these, Taiki?" Yaten was equally perplexed. "I mean, you don't find these kinds of things in a comic book store!" He smoothed his fingers tenderly across the shiny metal star, as though he was recalling a long ago forgotten past. It made his heart ache.

"This package came today while you were out. It's because of you Yaten, you've been putting your face out by being a model, and now suddenly, people are taking notice of you. Just to check, I looked through the magazine section at the bookstore, and you're in there: Vanity Fair, Vogue… even Seventeen and Cosmopolitan. Princess Kakyuu, somewhere, must have seen you in one of these advertisements and recognized you in your new form. Look on the box; there's no return address. But she knows where we are." Seiya flipped the box over: To Seiya, Taiki and Yaten Kou followed by their apartment's address. 

"She's out there but she can't come to us. And we can't find her. We have to be like Yaten."

"Aw shucks Taiki!" Yaten rubbed his fingernails across his chest and gave a smug grin.

"I mean it, we have to put our faces out there and be recognized. Seiya, tell your manager that you're quitting tomorrow, I've already told mine. We're going to focus, really focus on finding her." Taiki watched Seiya's eyes grow dark and silent, and Taiki was a little afraid he had said too much, too soon. What was Seiya thinking behind those eyes, looking at him expressionlessly?

Seiya left the room silently, and headed towards their one bathroom to take a shower. He quickly slipped out of his clothes and stepped into the cold spray of the shower. He had to admit to himself that Taiki's sudden decision had frightened him. Taiki had been geared towards finding the Princess since Day One, but now it leaned toward the obsessive—Seiya chastized himself. He was getting to use to Earth life, and it excited him, and he felt like he had not given himself completely to finding her, betraying his own love--- and that made him stop and wonder. 

His own love, was that Princess Kakyuu? He did notice that when he thought about her now, his heart quickened and he felt his lungs tighten. But then the feeling vanished as quickly as it had come---was this a man's feeling towards a woman---a woman as beautiful as Princess Kakyuu? Her strange, exotic eyes, her small lips and slender body—Seiya shivered again. He turned the shower's faucet a little warmer, and his muscles relaxed. "Ahh…" he sighed, his voiced cracking slightly. It embarrassed him… this hadn't happened to Taiki, Seiya thought—but then again, Taiki naturally had a deeper sounding voice, and he never became vocally excited, unlike himself. Yaten was different; he had a higher pitched voice then all three of them combined, so Seiya couldn't pick up any difference. Seiya dropped the soap and slapped his forehead, "Yaten's birthday, that's the 8th!" He unbound his long black ponytail and started to shampoo it gently. "Ouch! Damn!" It was always such a tangled mess at the end of the day.

   [1]: mailto:Bluemean83@aol.com



	4. Are moved by music...

**"I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom** **of me in magnificent glow" - Jack London**

Chapter 4: _Are moved by music_

Bluemean83@aol.com
August 26, 2001
Revised June 5, 2002
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Disclaimers: _The Three Lights_ was created by Seiya, Yaten and Taiki Kou, but Naoko Takeuchi penned them and their hit songs, _Nagareboshi He'_ and _Todokanu no Omoi'_. If you happen to be reading this fic, and you claim to have invented Techno music, I apologize for not giving you credit, gentle reader. 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"How does this sound, Princess, your hair is(scribbling) like an evening sunset I await your smile (scribbling) every night, followed with, We are searching for you' as the chorus"
"I like this Taiki, but I think there is something missing."
"Well Seiya, you said that— that could be _him_!" At that moment, the telephone rang and Taiki bolted from his chair with an inner-frenzy, outer-calm attitude; they had been anxiously awaiting all week for THE CALL. 
Seiya brooded over his half-written lyrics and dug his chin into his palm, tapping his pencil against the paper in frustration. Words, he realized, the words that he had copied out of Taiki's books and the newspapers, could not express his depressed fatigue, his inner despair, his chest-tightening fears. Some nights he would shake, and then some nights he could only feel the slow streams of tears running down his face as he stared at the back of Yaten's head. Even Yaten, surprisingly, forced himself to arrive early at the modeling studio every morning, since he was the sole economical backing behind their new and untapped enterprise---songwriting. It seemed quite natural for Taiki; late at night, while passing the doorway to the kitchen, Seiya would silently watch him writing feverishly, hugging the sofa arm chair while curled in bed, and trying to hold on to the dwindling candlelight. This was the inner frenzy coming out, something that Taiki guarded very carefully. Seiya had never read his friend's work, but remembering seeing him write, he thought that it must be very passionate.
The lights. They had forgotten to pay the electric bill. At least there was still hot water for the showers, but how long would that last? And Yaten how long would he last? 
Taiki sat down across from Seiya, silently pondering. He unfolded his arms.
"Good news?" Seiya smiled weakly.
"We have a gig at The Mandolin next Friday----
"That's good!"
"But we don't have a song."
Seiya slumped back in his chair and sighed. "So what did you say?"
"I said we would do it."
"Damn it Taiki, what're we gonna do? We don't have anything! No music, no guitars, no groupies! You're supposed to be the smart one; you could have talked to me about it!" Seiya's shoulders began to ache from leaning over the table and he felt his temples throb as though they were two pieces of rope tearing. 
Taiki lowered his eyes to his lap, and with a whisper, "I'm sorry Seiya." 
They heard Yaten trying to stifle his coughing in the dark bedroom. Seiya bit his lip and squeezed his eyes. He started to head for the door, "I can't, Taiki. I can't write anymore. I'm not a songwriter! And we can't live like this anymore; how long will it be until the heat gets cold, or the water doesn't run? Why don't you think about that while I'm gone!" 
As he silently shut the door, Taiki stared blankly through the kitchen window. His eyes trailed Seiya down the alley as far as he could, until he turned the corner and was out of his sight. The moon cast the streets in an eerie glow in the snow, accenting the electric skyscraper lights that never dimmed, and the howls of cars only grew louder at night, making the entire city look like a giant pinball game. Taiki scanned the considered lyrics sheet again, but the words that were written only ten minutes ago it seemed, hadn't captured the impulse of feeling they had when they first brainstormed. Something was missing, as Seiya had pointed out, something was missing. 
He's just impulsive.' Taiki murmured to himself. He wasn't sure if it was anger, or if he was tired he glanced at the clock, 1:43 a.m. Raking his fingers through his hair, Taiki stuffed some pillows at the bottom of the door, making sure that the draft from outside didn't enter Yaten's room. 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The nighttime could do strange things to a fourteen-year old boy. It heightens his sense of time, "Wow! Nothing closes, and there're so many people out!", his depth perception, "That tower, it must be 80 stories!" and his street smarts, "I better not touch that" but tonight, Seiya forgot about the city and headed to the corner pharmacy.
Walking in, he was shocked to see Yaten glaring at him. He had on a dark blue tank top with a large yellow star in the center.
"Oh Yaten, I didn't mean to eat the last of the Captain Crunch, I was hungry and we were out of eggs" Seiya walked a little closer to the wall, "It's a poster! Yaten, you had me worried!" Seiya waved his arm and laughed. Yaten's smooth face, his eyes lightly dusted with pale eye shadow, the blond ponytail that looped over his right shoulder like a rope, Seiya wanted to laugh at his serious face and his pink pouty lips. In his hands, he held a black cherry colored guitar, and he was strumming with his left hand. "Hey, that's not right! Everyone knows that Yaten's right handed."
A guitar.
Seiya was awestruck. 
A few moments went by as Seiya drooled over the beautiful musical instrument. So, Yaten was advertising for Gibson?
"So who's winning?" A rough chuckle came from across the counter.
"Hmmm?" Seiya starred dreamy-eyed at the clerk, "What?"
"Well, I'd think that by looking at that poster you were having a staring contest with the kid." He pointed with a chubby finger towards the poster.
"I win, because he blinked." Seiya pointed at the eyes and gave a little smile. 
"Cute, kid. I see girls from the neighborhood I've never seen come in here before, all for that picture. They buy all the posters and magazines that he's in."
"He must be a pretty popular guy."
The clerk began to wipe the counter with his rag. "Yeah, if you like having to stand in front of cameras all day."
"Some people like it. It must take a lot of courage to have so many people see into your private world." Seiya responded frankly, but his voice couldn't so easily hide his other feelings.
"Yeah, but they all look tired and angry. Not my kind of deal, kid."
Seiya thought a moment then began to peruse the aisles. When he got what he needed, he felt around his coat for his wallet. There was only sixty-three dollars left, it could keep the three of them going for another week or so. 
"Regional Cough and Flu ™. That'll be five dollars. I've got tomorrow's New York Times, fresh from the press." The clerk said, pointing to a large stack of tightly wrapped newspapers.
"But it's,' Seiya looked at the large clock behind the counter, 1:57 a.m. That's amazing!"
"And people wonder why New York never sleeps. They're busy printing newspapers!" The man laughed again and handed Seiya back his change. Seiya thanked him politely, but there was a strange silence from the man.
"It's late, kid. I hope your parents know what you plan to do with those pills, if you know what I mean. I see too many kids like you thinking they can come in here and buy em up, and what they do with them laterit's too bad. It's good you come in here and a get a newspaper every so often, but I'm looking out for you kid. You don't go doing that kind of stuff with the Cough and Flu."
"Oh sir, it's just for my roomma—my brother. He's really sick but he's too stubborn. He's always been, even when we were little kids."
"That's good, real good. I see that you're not a bad kid. Ya mean well, I know. Good night kid."
Seiya silently walked back home and skimmed the headlines of the paper:
"New book reviews, Taiki would be into that, Politically correct bedtime storiesThat's perfect for him! Stephen King.does he like Danielle Steele? Movies.International news, what?! Mad scientists attack Japan from within?" Seiya checked the paper's date, "Feburary 8th. That's tomorrow, which is today!" _Insomnia_, 
Seiya had been thinking about this day for weeks, little Yaten's birthday. 
"Not so little anymore." Seiya smiled has he fumbled for his apartment key. He heard the soft metallic vibrations of a trash can hitting the snow covered streets. The snow was gray and pulpy, for it kept melting and refreezing in its vicious cycle. Just above him, he felt the stars twinkle at him. He stopped as he leaned into the door. A shooting star blazed silently across the nighttime sky. Perhaps he was the only one in the entire city who saw its fleeting beauty. It was the first he had ever seen on Earth. His heart raced and it warmed his body, like a mysterious perfume had intoxicated his senses.
"Your strong scent, I'm always searching for it, princess. Was that you I saw?
Can you hear me princess? Can you hear my voice calling out to you every night? I—"
Seiya clutched his chest as he coughed. "I love you princess, I always have. What happened, what seems so long ago, we—I--- I couldn't come to protect you. I failed you; I regret it so much. But you're free, you're here somewhere on this planet, and maybe you saw what I saw? Answer me princess, Kakyuu, my lovely princessI wish that I could be with you" Seiya looked again at the paper, and hurried inside.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Seiya found Taiki with his head down at the kitchen table, weighted down in his folded arms. Suddenly it struck him how dedicated Taiki was in finding her, and Yaten too. They were working so hard! They would fight sleep, and work over sickness, if that meant they could get closer to finding her. But it was wearing them down slowly. That was when Seiya thought of music. They had thought of so many ways to become famous, but it was Seiya's idea of becoming singers that fascinated Taiki the most. And why not be singers, and still do all the other things? People would recognize Yaten immediately from being a model. And besides, wasn't music universal? 
Seiya remembered the afternoon after he quit his job and Taiki was ready to venture into the creative pulse of music.
"Every culture has music and every culture expresses it differently. We should make a few songs that the entire world can understand. Words that could easily be understood and translated into every language." Taiki proposed the plan.
He continued, "They should have simple words and phrases, things that people could identify with."
"Like a feeling. Everyone has a special connection with the stars and heavens." Seiya suggested.
"Don't romanticize the universe, Seiya. The reality of the situation is here, not up there in the sky. Be serious." He glanced towards his computer, walked over towards it and turned it on. A few moments later, he called Seiya over. 
"I've been working on a program that digitizes music into the computer. Listen to this," he turned the volume up slightly to the sharp crescendos and deep bass, the beats, the notes, even fragments of Taiki's voices had been transformed. The computer had added a whole round of sound and it was absolutely amazing.
Seiya beamed at his friend and slapped his back. "Taiki, this is incredible! So, what do you call it?"
"Hmm, technology music_Techno_." He lowered his maroon eyes in modesty and grinned. 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Seiya looked at Taiki again; his cold face was framed by one long loose piece of his auburn hair. Taiki liked his peace, his quiet times when he could be alone and read. Seiya knew that he wouldn't enjoy being a celebrity, he wouldn't enjoy losing his privacy. Yet, he had pushed everyone since they first found a place to live, and before they could shop for groceries, he was out finding work. It wasn't easy for him to take charge, but many times Seiya felt he could trust Taiki more than he could trust himself. He had urged Seiya to concentrate on writing when he didn't want to, and had kept him away from going out for nights at a time. When Taiki was frustrated, he wrote at night, when he felt like he was losing focus, he wrote even more. Seiya heard him stir from sleep and tried to creep away from the table.
"Seiya" he groaned sleepily. Seiya held his breath in the shadows. Taiki sat up and blinked his eyes.
"Did you get a newspaper, Seiya?"
"Ohyeah, I did." Seiya slowly handed it to him. Taiki began to silently flip through the pages, as though he were looking for something in particular.
"I want to see if I got an answer."
"An answer?"
"The ad I sent.... here it is:
**Looking for My Princess**
Sensitive, educated SM, 19, 6'2" brown/violet, slim build, N/S, loves reading, writing poetry, seeks SF 18-20's 5'4" who could share poetry and possible relationship and is a seasoned traveler. Red hair preferred.'
"Taiki! I'm surprised at you! You have to be at least eighteen and you're only"
"It says I'm nineteen, Seiya." Taiki gave a little smile.
That was the end of that.
"And someone responded
**Search for your love**
SF enjoys poetry, laughter, astronomy and incense. Red/light brown. The Princess you are looking for, I've been searching for you sensitive SM since we've been apart for these months. We will find each other again."
"There's no address, not even a phone number." Taiki flipped the newspaper together and sleepily made his way towards the couch.
Seiya glanced at the ad again. "Search for your love, search for your love_search for your love! _Princess I love you!" 
Like a burning meteoroid, or a wolf chasing after a deer, Seiya's heart flashed with adrenaline and his mind delicately and exuberantly raced to catch the flame of inspiration. It burned him. 
_Search for your love_
_Search for your love_
_You have always been shining so brightly_
_Your smiling face is just like a tiny star_
_I have been treasuring it_
_On that day I could not come and protect you_
_I just held my tears of regret inside_
_I am still feeling the pain (I won't forget you, sweetheart) _
(Seiya smiled warily at the thought Kakyuu as his sweetheart)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
_Your strong scent, I'm always (searching for it) _
_Can you hear my voice calling out (I love you so) _
_Where are you now (Moonlight Princess) _
_My lovely princess _
_Answer me, (answer for me) _
_Right away, (answer for me) _
_Answer me, (answer for me) _
_So gently, (answer for me)_
_Answer me, (answer for me) _
_Right away, (answer for me) _
_Answer me, (answer for me) _
_So gently, (answer for me)_
The music gently faded out and Taiki unplugged the radio. Outside his airplane window, he could see the cold and towering, yet beautiful, Statue of Liberty quickly shrinking into a little copper doll. They were leaving New York behind now, not as Seiya, Yaten and Taiki Kou but as the newly formed band, _The Three Lights. _They were ready to hit the world with their powerful musical force, and soon every man, woman and child would know their names. Taiki glanced at his friends sleeping beside him and smiled.


End file.
